CRICKET IS making a comeback in more ways than one. The Phuket International Cricket Sixes is returning to Phuket and being introduced for the first time to Pattaya.
And globally, the new short 20-over form of the game is taking the world by storm. The version that we'll see in Phuket and Pattaya is almost as exciting: lots of action, no boredom.
People either love or hate cricket, and it's fair to say that the participants who will be on Phuket in April are somewhat enamoured with the game.
Five-day Test matches? Hardly a sparkling way to pass the equivalent of a working week, unless you like watching grass growing.
50 over games? Once popular, now still far too long as people everywhere maximise every second of their time . . .
And that's why the wham-bang version that Phuket will see is about as exciting as the game gets, and why the best exponents of this form of cricket earn vast fortunes.
Baseball on speed? Yes, that's about right. Phuket will get its seventh crack at catching cricket from April 14-18 while the eyes of the vast Pattaya public should light up once organisers talk about ''bowling maiden overs'' from April 7-10.
The only question is whether the players will survive Pattaya to reach Phuket, or whether replacements will have to be flown in.
The tournaments in Thailand are part of the Asian Cricket Sixes Tour across the Asia Pacific region that now includes tournaments in Hong Kong, Shanghai, the Philippines, Singapore and Australia.
On Phuket, the venue will be Karon Stadium, where the quality of the pitch is often subject to local drought and the feet of about 40,000 football players.
This does not seem to deter cricketers with their eye on the ball, and the opportunity to enjoy Thai hospitality during, after, and perhaps even before the tournament.
Up to 30 cricket teams, male and female, mostly from Asia and the Pacific, compete with sides matched to their performance in the popular six-a-side format.
In conventional games, 11 players take the field, but the other five really just fill up the numbers.
Extra fun includes the Phuket beach cricket sixes, a welcome reception, a gala finale, and a star-studded 20-over fund-raising match fo promote junior cricket in Thailand.
A record number of teams, supporters and officials from Australia, Britain, India, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand and China, plus Thailand and Phuket, will compete this year.
New for 2010 will be the Women's Division, which features up to five teams from around the region.
And if you want to know why someone who ''bowls a maiden over'' is a bit of a hero in cricket, best ask one of the female competitors. The males will try to be too smart by half.
Sixteen teams are turning out in a historic first competition at the Horseshoe Point Resort in Pattaya, where there's a brand new cricket ground.
We will be interested to learn, though, whether 40,000 footballers have sampled it first.
Phuket Waterpark Slashes Entry Prices in HalfAnd globally, the new short 20-over form of the game is taking the world by storm. The version that we'll see in Phuket and Pattaya is almost as exciting: lots of action, no boredom.
People either love or hate cricket, and it's fair to say that the participants who will be on Phuket in April are somewhat enamoured with the game.
Five-day Test matches? Hardly a sparkling way to pass the equivalent of a working week, unless you like watching grass growing.
50 over games? Once popular, now still far too long as people everywhere maximise every second of their time . . .
And that's why the wham-bang version that Phuket will see is about as exciting as the game gets, and why the best exponents of this form of cricket earn vast fortunes.
Baseball on speed? Yes, that's about right. Phuket will get its seventh crack at catching cricket from April 14-18 while the eyes of the vast Pattaya public should light up once organisers talk about ''bowling maiden overs'' from April 7-10.
The only question is whether the players will survive Pattaya to reach Phuket, or whether replacements will have to be flown in.
The tournaments in Thailand are part of the Asian Cricket Sixes Tour across the Asia Pacific region that now includes tournaments in Hong Kong, Shanghai, the Philippines, Singapore and Australia.
On Phuket, the venue will be Karon Stadium, where the quality of the pitch is often subject to local drought and the feet of about 40,000 football players.
This does not seem to deter cricketers with their eye on the ball, and the opportunity to enjoy Thai hospitality during, after, and perhaps even before the tournament.
Up to 30 cricket teams, male and female, mostly from Asia and the Pacific, compete with sides matched to their performance in the popular six-a-side format.
In conventional games, 11 players take the field, but the other five really just fill up the numbers.
Extra fun includes the Phuket beach cricket sixes, a welcome reception, a gala finale, and a star-studded 20-over fund-raising match fo promote junior cricket in Thailand.
A record number of teams, supporters and officials from Australia, Britain, India, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand and China, plus Thailand and Phuket, will compete this year.
New for 2010 will be the Women's Division, which features up to five teams from around the region.
And if you want to know why someone who ''bowls a maiden over'' is a bit of a hero in cricket, best ask one of the female competitors. The males will try to be too smart by half.
Sixteen teams are turning out in a historic first competition at the Horseshoe Point Resort in Pattaya, where there's a brand new cricket ground.
We will be interested to learn, though, whether 40,000 footballers have sampled it first.
Photo Album Phuket's state of the art waterpark, Splash Jungle, has slashed prices in half and is offering special deals for all Phuket residents. It's part of a new marketing strategy.
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Phuket's Welcome Crushed by Airport Crowds
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US Warship Visits Show Faith in Phuket
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Phuket Jet-Ski Operators Make 109 Accident Claims
UPDATE Some jet-ski operators are avoiding insurance while others are not keeping up their payments, a meeting at Provincial Hall hears. More than 400,000 baht has been paid in claims.
Phuket Jet-Ski Operators Make 109 Accident Claims
